The North Oregon Coast

After a short three months at home, I’m off on another work trip again, this time to the greater Portland area. So far the transition has been pretty smooth. Portland actually seems very similar to the bay area, in that there’s lots of great food, a relatively diverse population, and debilitating traffic during rush hour. Just like home.

Hello Portland!

Last weekend my parents came up for a brief visit, and we decided to take a day trip outside of the city. There’s a charming little town on the coast that several people had recommended called Astoria, just under a two hour drive from the Portland area. Situated right next to the Columbia river and present day Oregon-Washington border, Astoria is where Lewis and Clark ended their journey and search for the fabled Northwest Passage. 

Lewis and Clark with their dog and a friendly Native American

The first place we visited was Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. There was a nice little visitor center with exhibits and videos telling the story of Lewis and Clark’s travels, and a life-size replica of Fort Clatsop. Many hiking trails also extend out from the visitor center. One of the trails was the Fort to Sea Trail, starting at the fort and leading to the sea unsurprisingly. The entire trail was six miles one way, so we decided to just do two miles up to Clatsop Ridge and turn back from there. It was a pleasant trail, but the view at the ridge was a little underwhelming. There were probably nice views at the end of the trail, but not sure I would recommend going to the ridge in particular. 

In line for fish and chips

For lunch we went to the highest rated place in the area on Yelp, Bowpicker Fish and Chips. The restaurant is actually just a foodboat (as opposed to a foodtruck) - a boat parked in the middle of a dirt lot repurposed to serve fish and chips. The line was pretty impressive; we ended up waiting an hour before we got our food. 

Freshly fried fish and chips

But with all the locals in line raving about how good this place was, the wait didn’t feel too bad. When we finally got our food everything was freshly fried and crispy. The fish was nicely textured, and the freshest fish I’ve ever had for fish and chips. Definitely worth a try despite the wait.

Visited this ship next to the Maritime Musem

After lunch we visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum before making a stop at the Astoria Column. The museum had some interesting exhibits about all the shipwrecks around the mouth of the Columbia - apparently it’s one of the most dangerous rivers in the world to boat on - and we also got to walk around on a ship as part of admission. But I think the highlight of the day was the Astoria Column. 

The Astoria Column

Built on the highest hill in the city, the Astoria Column features the best view of the surrounding water and land at the observation deck on top. With the great panoramic views, it’s the perfect place to pause and appreciate the beauty of the northwest coast. 

View from the top of the column

New places to explore, new experiences to be had. Looking forward to seeing what else Oregon has to offer!